Progetti di ricerca

The FORMATION project aims at fostering the implementation of new approaches for the description of geomorphological processes and representation of landforms, whose spatial distribution represents the most immediate tool to detect areas affected by geological risks. Despite the maturity of traditional cartographic… Leggi tutto approaches (mainly symbols-based), the operational readiness of geomorphological maps is quite low, as they are perceived as static tools, suffering from temporal and scale resolution. The FORMATION project aims to fill this gap, integrating emerging remote sensing techniques into the new Italian guidelines for the geomorphological mapping provided by ISPRA (Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, Italian Institute for the environmental protection and research) The main driver of the FORMATION project is the design of new paradigms for geomorphological mapping, where outcomes of traditional geomorphological survey and land degradation models, coupled with multi-band satellite analysis and multi-platform LiDAR and UAV data are convoyed within GIS (Geographic Information System) environment for the classification of landforms and the creation of a multi-scale, digital geomorphological map. The final aim of the FORMATION project is the production of a multi-scale digital cartography model, characterized by a full-coverage representation of landforms. Outputs of the FORMATION project, consisting of models with different hierarchical levels (from physiographic units to details on components of mapped landforms) will provide a complete and flexible representation of the complexity of the physical landscape evolution (including geology, landforms and active processes), finally suitable for every action and decision on the territory, from land planning to civil engineering applications. Databases, models, tools and methods will be presented and discussed with prototype implementations at pilot Italian cases in the Alps and Apennines, which share common pressing challenges on the environment, such as gravitational and running water-based processes causing several damages with a direct implication on human life and millions of euros spent in environmental remediation. Target basins have been selected to cover different geological, geomorphological and climatic settings and to demonstrate the effectiveness and replicability of the proposed methodology.